


How Good You've Got It

by StonyAvengerGirl16 (CharmedBritannia)



Series: StarkSpangledWinter [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff, Bad Decisions, Lab safety is important Tony, M/M, Protective Bucky, Protective Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:17:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmedBritannia/pseuds/StonyAvengerGirl16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony was only trying to work on deciphering Loki's power signature, which admittedly what Steve would call 'poking an angry brown bear with a pointy stick'. But if he could just-</p><p>Shit. It wasn't supposed to do that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Good You've Got It

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts? Comment below or message my Tumblr! 
> 
> Enjoy!

\----

Tony had done it.

 

It had taken a couple of months and getting blasted square out of the sky on numerous occasions by one of Loki's minions in an effort to get some of his DNA or whatever Asgardians are made of, but he had done it. He had basically, in layman' terms, created a sort of tracking device for Loki's energy signature. No matter where the asshole was hiding, they would be able to know where he was, or if he was behind whatever fuckery was happening.

 

Suck it, Richards. He didn't need his help.

 

He gave one last pull to tighten the the last bolt, and stepped back to admire his handiwork. The machine itself was what seemed like an enormous metal cube. The controller was no bigger than your typical TV remote, and it was the first of its kind. He didn't actually know if it worked or not, so the only way to find out was to test it. 

 

_'Sir, might I advise against doing so, the compound within the device is unstable-'_

"JARVIS. This is science. Magic can, and will, be explained by simple, or maybe not so simple, facts. Once I prove this works, I will also prove that magic is BS, which is why I hate it so. Now, FOR SCIENCE!"

 

He pulled the lever on the dashboard and mashed the button on the remote.

 

He felt rather than saw when something went wrong. The air around him seemed to thicken and swirl, even though he was sure that wasn't possible. His instincts screamed at him to put on the suit, and for once, he listened to them. It was only seconds after he donned it that an enormous, multi-colored portal of some sort opened right in the middle of his lab. That wasn't what it was supposed to do.

 

_'Sir!'_

 

He only had a moment to grab the remote before he was forcibly pulled in.

\----

Steve was wailing on his third punching bag when the tower started to shake. It immediately put him on edge, because Avengers Tower was made to withstand damn near everything. He had just regained his balance when JARVIS spoke to him in a panic.

 

_'Captain Rogers! There has been an incident in Sir's lab-'_

 

Steve didn't even let him finish before he was on a mad dash for the elevator. The other Avengers came skidding around the corner, apparently summoned by JARVIS as well. All of them ran into the lab as soon as they hit the floor, but all that was there was a smoking hunk of metal. As JARVIS explained what happened, he punched the wall, and fell to the floor. _  
_

\----

Tony tumbled onto the hard concrete beneath him. He got to his feet, and checked his HUD. Nothing. 

 

He looked around. It was undoubtably New York; the extremely tall buildings gave that away. But the normally busy streets were empty, and it was...silent. No people anywhere. No honking, or yelling. Just silence. He kicked up the repulsors, and proceeded to get a bird's eye view. It was just as lifeless everywhere he looked. He was swooping low to see if he find anyone when he was smacked square in the faceplate by a familiar object. He righted himself before he could be put through the nearest building, and looked at where it came from.

 

The figure caught the shield, and jumped down into the light. It was...

 

_"Steve?!"_

 

The Other Steve's face contorted into an expression that he never thought a Steve's face could make. It was an expression of pure rage. He stepped back, and Steve stepped forwards. He spoke in a hostile growl.

 

_"Where did you get that?"_

"Get what? Steve, what the hell is going on?"

"Don't Steve me! Where the fuck did you get that armor?"

"What are you talking about? I made this-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

 

He brought his hands up on instinct, but those instincts were warring with his vow to _never_ hurt Steve. But this Steve obviously had no such qualms. He continued to advance on Tony, and he continued to step back.

 

"Don't you _dare_ fucking lie to me. Only one man could make an armor like that."

 

He raised his shield threateningly.

 

_"And he's **dead**."_

\----

Bucky grabbed Reed by the front of his uniform.

 

"What do you mean, you can't find him?"

"He's using an unstable energy source. I can't track something without a consistent signal-"

 

Bucky looked like he wanted to shake him senseless with frustration, but Natasha stepped in to make him let go. Steve had gone numb From the minute he slid to the floor of the lab. He was so _useless._ All of those nights, those whispered promises to a sleeping Tony that he would protect him, and when he was truly needed he wasn't there. 

 

The he others had tried to convince him that it would be fine, but he knew they had their doubts. He wasn't even in their _dimension_ anymore. And there were an infinite number of those. How the hell were they going to get him back when they didn't know which one he was in?

\-----

Tony stood stock still. Dead? What did he mean, dead? The Other Steve looked ready to murder him in cold blood, so he did the first thing and most dangerous thing that came to mind.

 

He lifted the faceplate.

 

Other Steve stopped in his tracks, and stared at him. This expression was even worse. It was heartbroken terror.

 

"What? How?"

"I'm Tony, Steve. But I'm not _your_ Tony."

 

Steve looked up at him. It was then that he noticed the differences. This Steve's eyes were a darker shade, but that might have been from the emotional trauma. His hair was darker, and he didn't have the cute flip that he loved. His uniform lacked the Stars and Stripes motif, and was just plain black and blue, as was his shield. It broke his heart to know that there was a Steve who didn't have a Tony.

 

"You could be."

 

He snapped his full attention back to Other Steve. He had a look of unhinged determination, and no, Tony didn't like where this was going. 

 

"Look, I can't. I don't belong here, I have to go home-"

"No!"

 

Tony flinched.

 

"I've lost you once. This is my second chance. Don't you see? I'm still Steve! Why can't you stay?"

 

Because this wasn't the Steve he had given his heart to. This wasn't his _sole;_ it wasn't his Brooklyn boy. This Steve was different in all the places where it counted. At this point, he was sure he'd be able to tell the difference even if it _was_ an exact copy.

 

"I'm sorry-"

 

He barely had time to snap the faceplate down and move before the shield came flying at him. This was going south so fast. Before he could gain enough altitude, Other Steve had latched on to one leg, and proceeded to rip apart wherever he could reach. Tony fell back down, and he decided that he had no choice. He fired the repulsors at Other Steve, who deflected the beams as if they were nothing. Then he brought the shield down repeatedly against the helmet, each strike leaving him dizzier and dizzier. Steve ground out words as he continued on.

 

"I'm sorry, Tony. But you won't take away my chance at redemption. You'll see. You'll love me just as much as you love whatever other Steve there is."

 

Tony shivered at the next words before losing consciousness.

 

_"I am your Steve."_

\----

They had been sitting in Reed's lab for who knows how many hours. He had brought Bucky to sit by his side, and they just stared at the machine that was supposed to be their only hope of bringing Tony back. Steve wanted to bash it with his shield for being so fucking worthless. But he couldn't, not when Tony was still somewhere in there. So they just stared, as if Tony would fly out, cocky grin in place, asking if they missed him. 

 

They shot up as if their asses were on fire when Reed let out a loud, triumphant cry. All the other Avengers flocked around him, desperate to hear some good fucking news already.

 

"First things first, Tony's not dead."

 

Bucky almost collapsed in relief, and Steve hugged him, relieved tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

"The unstable pattern from earlier was the element reacting with the Vibranium in the reactor. That's probably what went wrong in the first place. The element was unstable, so it reached out for something that _was_ to bond with, which was Tony. As long as this pattern maintains, we'll know Tony's alive."

 

The Avengers all let out a simultanious cry of utter relief.

 

"Secondly. The pattern in place isn't a pattern at all. It's a _map._ So the device worked, to an extent. It tracked the path Tony took to get to wherever he is now. Which is...dimension 439, universe 13. Not so far from here, actually, considering how many there are."

 

Steve and Bucky both stood up straight, determination renewed now that they knew their lover was alright and where he was.

 

"We're going to get him."

"I'd advise against that, you might get lost in the very fabric of the dimensional tunnel-"

 

It was Steve's turn to grab him by the uniform.

 

_"We're going to get him."_

\----

Tony came to on a bed in an unknown building. His armor was gone, and he was handcuffed to the wall. He looked around, and sure enough, Other Steve was sitting in a decorative armchair across the room, reading, and when he heard the rattling of the cuffs, he looked up, grinned, and snapped his book shut.

 

"You're awake! That's wonderful. I'll have one of the servants bring you something to eat."

 

He pressed a button on his bracelet, and sure enough, a young man in what looked like a SHIELD uniform was in the room in minutes. If he was surprised to see a man chained to the bed, he didn't show it.

 

"Yes, sir?"

"Bring up something Italian for our guest."

 

The servant nodded and scurried away.

 

Steve turned back to Tony.

 

"It's nice to have people who work for you. You taught me that, you know."

 

He walked over and kneeled beside the bed.

 

"We ruled the world together, you and I. We got fed up with all of the dirt and filth we cleaned coming back, so we took it into our hands once and for all. After all, who better was there?"

 

He traced a finger down his cheek.

 

"Of course, some of the others weren't on board with our plan. So we fought. And we won."

 

His expression darkened.

 

"At least, we thought we did. But there was that one last speck. We though we had cleaned off Clinton Francis Barton, but we hadn't. And while we celebrated on the penthouse balcony, the fucker put an arrow straight through your back. I'd never felt rage as deep as that before. Because what was there to do? So all I could do was hold you as you died, and I was forced to watch you fall limp in my arms. The ones loyal to me brought him before me, you know? And I took it upon myself to personally sever his fucking head from the rest of his body."

 

Tony winced. He could only imagine his Clint back home; his silly, but loyal friend and teammate.

 

"But that didn't make me feel better. Oh no. I still felt that deep-rooted rage. But then, I realized. It was never going to go away. You were my stabilizer. You were what kept me calm and relaxed and understanding. But you were gone. So I figured I'd paint the world as red as my hands after you died as vengeance. I'd make fate rue the day it took you from me."

 

He broke out into an unhinged smile.

 

"But now you're back! And you'll stay here. You'll love me. I'm Steve, remember? No matter the universe, we're meant to be together. It's been lonely ruling the world by myself. I admit, when I saw you flying, I was ready to kill whoever for daring to don an armor like your's. But it turns out it was fate, finally giving me a second chance after all this time."

 

Tony could only stare. Who the hell was this? This wasn't Steve. Steve would never do such a thing. This man was a monster.

 

_He wanted to go home._

 

Turns out, if you wished hard enough, it really did come true. Because as soon as Other Steve leaned over to try and kiss him, a portal almost exactly the same as the one that brought him to this twisted place opened, and out stepped hid Brooklyn boys, as if they were avenging angels. They took in the bed, the cuffs, and the position they were in, and he knew what conclusion they were coming to.

 

Steve stared down his doppelgänger, and Other Steve stared back. And then he took in the man beside him, and he almost stumbled back.

 

_"Bucky?"_

 

Bucky glared harder.

 

"In the mostly flesh you son of a bitch. And I think you have something that belongs to us."

"Belongs to _us?"_

 

Other Steve glared at his Steve, and snarled.

 

 _"Us? US?_ You have _both of them?_ What did _you_ do to deserve have not one, but **_two_** of the most important people in your life alive and in love with you in return? To see every single fucking day? _What did YOU do that I **didn't**?!"_

 

Other Steve charged his Steve, and his Steve returned as good as he got. There was cussing from both and muscles were rippling everywhere. It was less of a fight and more of a back-alley brawl with how fair each were fighting. While they were pre-occupied, Bucky went to work on his cuffs. His head still swam a little from having it bashed with a shield, so he allowed Bucky to scoop him up, and gave into the urge to bury his face in his neck. Bucky just held him there, and moved towards the portal.

 

"Shh. I've got you, sweetie. Steve! I've got Tony! Let's get the hell out of here! "

 

Steve nodded, and threw Other Steve into the bookcase on the other side of the room, and followed after them. All he saw before they jumped in as it closed was the rage-filled, bitter look on Other Steve's face, and he had a thought that it wasn't what he didn't do, but what he _did._

 

But as he was cuddled and carried the entire way home, and looked over by Bruce while he watched his _luna_ and _sole_  destroy the piece of shit machine that started this madness, and kept in bed by his two paranoid super-soldiers for almost a week, he couldn't but figure that he didn't care either way, as long as his Brooklyn boys stayed who they were.

\----


End file.
